Sunday, November 5, 2017

Want Campus Carry? Apply Now!

Want campus carry? Start asking for permission. We’ll help (but no promises). Not for K-12 schools!

State law allows for the presidents of Nevada’s public
colleges and universities, known as the Nevada System of Higher Education
(NSHE), to grant written permission to carry firearms on campus. Unfortunately,
most of the time permission to carry for self-defense is denied. The standard
is so stringent, that even corrections officers attending classes have been
denied permission. Unless it is highly likely that you will be victimized and
can prove it, permission will be denied. NSHE policy effectively denies Nevadans
their right to self-defense.

It’s time to change all that. For too long, Nevadans have
been dissuaded from applying simply because “How do I apply?” is met with “Don’t
bother, they don’t approve anybody.” You can help change that by asking for
permission and showing that yes, there is a demand for students and citizens to
defend themselves on campus.

Nevada Carry is providing a form, that includes hold
harmless language and release of liability, to help you apply for permission to
carry a concealed handgun on campus and/or store it in your car. The goal is to
one, show demand exists, and two, track the process and exact reasons for
denials, along with the persons involved.

If people are asking and being told “no” in secret, we can’t
know the reasoning or persons behind the decisions. So if you apply for
permission, please email us all copies of correspondence with the university
officials, including denials. PERSONAL INFORMATION WILL BE KEPT STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL.
This is a process; you will probably be told no, but that is part of how we start
to change things.

NSHE’s Policy Terms

Presidents
have discretionary authority, subject to the conditions set by the Board of
Trustees. It is a highly restrictive “may issue” policy. The duty of the
president is to:

“An NSHE
institution President who receives a written request from an individual to
carry a concealed weapon on the campus must consider, investigate, and evaluate
each request on a case by case basis, giving individual consideration to each
specific request, and must make a determination on each request according to a
need standard.”

Permits
are may issue and require a specific “need” under the most stringent
interpretation of the word. Determining factors are:

1. a specific risk of
attack presented by an actual threat;

2. a general risk of
attack presented by the nature of the individual’s current or former
profession, as established by actual evidence of increased risk of attack on
such individuals; or

3. a legitimate
educational or business purpose.

The application is
reviewed. Often campus police call for an interview and any documentation
regarding specific threats are requested. In most cases, a denial is then
issued. Anyone who is denied has the right to request an appeal.

Read the full policy here. Most approvals are for non-carry reasons, such as class educational displays. Carry permission is granted mostly to security personnel, armored car drivers, and off-duty law enforcement teaching on campus.

Bare Self-Defense

For the average person to get permission for self-defense
carry, the standard is far and beyond “good cause,” but practically requires
that an attack has already happened or one is highly likely to be attacked.
Elevated, but non-specific threats, or a general concern for one’s safety is not considered good enough to get
permission to carry.

Self-defense because
of what could happen is as good as reason as any to apply,
so if that’s all the justification you wish to put on the form, why not? Asking
for permission to carry after you have been victimized is no good. If NSHE
wants to deny people, they will. What victim of random crime anticipates that
they will become a victim in the near future? Do only those with verified death
threats against them or abusive spouses deserve protection?

The historical record is clear; legal guns on college and
university campuses have never been a problem. Legislators did not originally
seek to deny concealed carriers the ability to carry on campus, but rather
allowed it to happen as carrying a handgun legally was uncommon. Authorities
were to use their discretion to the benefit of gun owners and not to deny
practically every request.

Armed citizens and members of the educational community must
be involved in the elections and actions of the Board of Regents. Regents who
are friendly to gun owners can help create quality policies without resorting
to the difficulties of the legislative process. Continue reaching out to
students, teachers, and professors about the Second Amendment and the gun
culture.

2017 is not 1989. Handguns and self-defense carry are
popular in America and once again they are recognized by the majority as not
only a right, but sometimes as a necessity. The old conventions about who
carries are gun and the risk of accident vs. probability of a defensive gun use
have changed. Old policies created under a paradigm that no longer exists and
enforced today for political reasons need to be eradicated or altered to
reflect today’s reality.

About the Form

The form is unofficial and not approved by NSHE. It was not
written or reviewed by an attorney and none of this is legal advice. It is
simply to help interested citizens apply in an uniform manner that might get
some traction with NSHE officials. One who applies is strictly doing so on
their own. Nevada Carry makes no guarantees and accepts no liabilities. We are
not making a promise that you will get permission or that any of this will work.

What will probably happen is a denial. After receiving that, appeal because you can. Fight them every step of the way. Politely
and respectfully, of course. If you list merely self-defense, it would be
helpful to include statistics and a personally written statement about the
dangers of random crime and how armed citizens can protect themselves. Tell
them the things we tell each other about good guys with guns. If we can’t
change their minds, then we can provide them with the undeniable truth. Make
them articulate in detail why they are denying you.

Then we can work on getting the Trustees to change their
policy and one day, legislation to undo the law altogether. Again, apply, appeal, andprovide Nevada Carry copies of all correspondence.
PERSONAL INFORMATION WILL BE KEPT STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL.

Please do not apply to any campus that you do not attend or have business at.